Chef's Armoury: How to make Takoyaki, Rosebery (15 May 2010)

Shop 251, 747 Botany Road, Rosebery NSW 2018
http://www.chefsarmoury.com

Fun way to cook

This was a free cooking session on making Takoyaki which are round savoury pancakes filled with Tako (octopus) smothered in a tasty bbq style sauce and Japanese mayo. We learnt Takoyaki is the quintessential street food of the Kansai district in Japan and traditionally these sticky fried balls are filled with octopus (tako) but in recent times ingredients such as prawn, crab, wiener sausage, mochi and cheese are also used. When you cook a few different fillings at the same time it becomes a bit of a mystery bag of what you'll end up eating. It's a fun a way to cook if you've got a few party guests around — and they might even want to have a go themselves.

After the session I bumped into a fellow food blogger Yee from Brunch Lunch Munch who had found out about the cooking class through my last post on the Wagyu tasting event. The next free cooking class is How to Make Japanese Soups and Stocks on 19 June — bookings essential.

RECIPE NOTES – Chef's Armoury

The Takoyaki Pan
Make sure you choose a heavy cast iron takoyaki pan, as these are best for even heat distribution. The pan must be properly seasoned. Before first use and any time when the pan starts to stick, fry some vegetable scraps in the pan with neutral oil such as rice bran or grapeseed.

Pan set includes oil brush, turning spike, takoyaki flour $68.50

Basic Takoyaki Batter – makes about 60 balls
300g plain flour
3 eggs
1 heaped tablespoon kuzu
1 litre pre made dashi stock
2 tsp salt
2 tsp soy sauce
1.5 cups finely diced cabbage
1.5 cups finely sliced shallots – green part only

Mix all ingredients well and chill in fridge for 1 hour. The batter should have a consistency of pouring cream. There are some pre seasoned takoyaki flours on the market that you can simply add water and egg.

Other visits to Chef's Armoury:

• 19 June 2010 - Japanese Stocks and Soups

• 15 May 2010 - How to make Takoyaki (fried balls of octopus)

• 27 Mar 2010 - Wagyu Tasting

• 30 Jan 2010 - Professional Knife Sharpening Service

SNAPSHOT REVIEW:

PROS: Free lesson, Tasty sample, Fun way to cook

CONS: Takes a bit of time to cook a batch of takoyaki

MUST TRY: Visiting Japan one day for culture and food

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Mochi, prawns and fish cake cut up for fillings

Cooked octopus

Cooked octopus cooled to room temperature then sliced up

Oiling the pan

Pouring takoyaki batter

Fillings added

Pour batter over

Fold over edges

Turn balls over to cook other side

Takoyaki BBQ sauce added

Japanese mayonaise added

Katsubushi fish flakes added

Katsuobushi fish flakes

Bulldog Osaka Takoyaki Sauce $7.50, Kenko Ofu Mayonnaise $7.95

Kenko Ofu Mayonnaise $7.95, Bulldog Osaka Takoyaki Sauce $7.50

Kibun Kamaboko fish cake $5.95

Takahashi kintsuke mochi $17.25 (1 kg)

Yee from Brunch Lunch Munch and me

Brunch Lunch Munch blogger in photographic action

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